A Very Starship Fairytale
by Faye-The-BookWolf
Summary: Taz is forced to read a fairytale to her young ward, Danny, with a challenge. She, Up and the rest of the team from Starship 15-A2 have to be the main characters! Eventual TUp, Spayonder, Tootsiegirl and Buguary. Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Right…Okay. Well. I said I had an idea…I TOLD you all it didn't make sense! This is just my mind doing weird things. – Taz is made to read the boy she's looking after, Danny (from a Roleplay) a fairytale on one condition – she and the other rangers are the main characters. Yes. This will be TUp, Buguary, Tootsiegirl and Spayonder! **

**Enjoy XD**

It was a peaceful evening in Miami, at the Starship Ranger base. Taz was currently tending to her ward, a six year old boy named Danny. She was looking after him with the help of her team after finding him in an alleyway after meeting him and his family a week before. She felt a sense of duty towards the child, seeing that his mother and brother were now dead, and his father in jail, so she was doing her best to make life as normal as possible for him.

"Hey, Taz?" Danny asked, glancing up at the woman he had learned to love like a sister. He had found an old Spanish storybook on her bookshelf, and though he couldn't understand a word of the text, he was entranced by the beautiful art work. He held it in his lap, flipping through it carefully, and waited for Taz to reply.

"Si?" Taz asked, sitting down on the bed next to him, raising an eyebrow slightly when she saw the book. "Do jou even understand any of dat?" She asked the six year old, who simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Taz shook her head, fighting a smile off of her face, and ruffled Danny's hair. She had been wary about looking after the kid, but he had grown on her a lot more, despite his fondness for Krayonder. She'd just have to stop letting Krayonder babysit. It was a bad idea from the start.

"Will you read me a story?" Danny asked, and Taz wrinkled her nose slightly, taking the book from him.

"Sure," She said slowly, and then paused when Danny interrupted her.

"Read a story from there, but put you, Up and the others as the characters," he said quickly, grinning at her, and Taz rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine." She sighed, and flipped the book open to a certain page. She smiled slightly, recognizing the story and deciding that it was perfect for what Danny wanted. "Once upon a time, in a land of magic, dragons, knights and royalty, a story takes place. Dis is no ordinary story, however. It tells de tale of a princess, who desperately wanted to be a knight."

"I bet she's you!" Danny said immediately, grinning, and Taz lightly flicked his forehead.

"Who's telling dis story?" she asked, and Danny pouted, so she continued. "De knights were commanded by a strong and fearless leader. Knight Commander Up."

Knight Commander Up was known as the fiercest and most ruthless person throughout the entire land. It wasn't particularly true, it was just a façade to keep enemy kingdoms at bay, but he was very strict on enforcing rules, and never let his knights slack even for a second. Up was tall, well-built with chestnut brown hair with flecks of grey in it. His eyes were a bright blue yet turned an icy blue when he was angry. His job was to command the band of knights who protected the King and Queen, and their daughter, Princess Tasmine.

Currently, Up was out on patrol, making sure the citizens of the village remained safe. He didn't have to do this, as his duties extended only to the royal family, but he liked to make sure everyone stayed safe and unharmed.

Heaving a small sigh, Up glanced wearily at the entrance to the forest and edged his horse forward, gripping onto his sword with one hand. He knew better than anyone the dangers of the forest, as the long thin scar covering his eye indicated. Still, he had a job to do, and holding himself tall, he headed down the path into the forest. There was silence in the trees as he passed, and Up was certain he didn't trust that one little bit. His muscles tense, he was almost relieved when he heard a loud snarl from a clearing up ahead. That however, was soon changed as a very human, female yelp followed the sound.

"Walker, go!" He urged his horse immediately, drawing his sword, and the stallion immediately charged forward, heading into the clearing. Up leapt from his back immediately, ready to attack, but froze at the sight before him.

A dark brown feline creature on four legs, with razor sharp teeth was circling a young woman, one of the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. She had caramel coloured skin, similar to many of the people in the nearby town. Her long black ebony hair was pulled back in a simple black braid down her back, and stopped at her waist. It was her eyes, however, which called to him the most. They were a deep brown, and seemed to hold all the warmth of nature within them. Nature's eyes, he had heard eyes like that called once.

The mysterious woman seemed to be about nineteen or in her early twenties, and was wearing, much to his surprise, hunting gear. Well-fitting brown leather pants, dark brown hunters boots, she also wore a well-fitting dark green tunic, a simple brown belt around her waist, and brown leather arm guards around her wrists. Instead of cowering in fear, like Up had initially expected, The woman was crouched, her head tilted to one side slightly as she watched the feline circle her slowly. In her right hand she held a long, curved knife, and Up was astounded by the craftsmanship behind the weapon, forgetting about the laws which went against woman carrying weaponry for the time-being.

He snapped out of his shock and awe suddenly as the feline lunged. He cursed and darted forward to help, but the woman seemed to use her weight and size in advantage. She dodged effortlessly and then dived on the creature herself, pinning it to the ground. It let out a cross between a hiss and a snarl, but was silenced as the woman pressed her knife into its jugular cleanly, killing it in one single move. She drew her knife from its throat, wiping it on the grass to clean the steel, and then stood, sheathing her knife to her belt with a satisfied smile. She glanced up and noticed Up standing there, and fell back with a curse, staring at him wide-eyed.

Up realised he must look intimidating, the Knight Commander stood in a fighting position with his sword held aloft, and slowly, he lowered his blade to try and pacify her.

"It's okay," He said quickly, slipping his sword back into his sheath. "I'm not here t'hurt you. I'm just here to help, but uh – y'seemed to have it covered."

The woman glanced at her kill, and then those eyes darted back to him once again, suspicious, wary. Up took a step forward, and she immediately took one back, narrowing her eyes as she did so.

"Tell me, Knight Commander," The woman stated, and Up noted a thick accent in her words. She sounded native, like many of the residents of the town also did. "What would resisting arrest add onto my charges of carrying a weapon due to my sex?"

"What?" Up asked blankly, and suddenly the rule came back to him, and he cursed silently. "Oh right, THAT rule." He paused slightly, looking uncomfortable. "I think, we can just say this never happened, as long as y'tell me who taught you how to fight like that."

The woman's lips twitched slightly and she fingered the handle of her blade slightly, pulling herself out of her crouched position. She regarded him with her captivating eyes for a second, eyes that seemed to stare straight into him.

"I taught myself." She replied casually. "I had to find something to do to take up my time. Besides." She gestured to the giant dead feline. "I can take dis into de town and trade it. I have to make money somehow, and dis is de most effective way."

"So yer a hunter." Up noted, raising his eyebrows. A female hunter. He admired her gall and her tenacity, certainly. No-one had ever spoken to him so casually, so uncaring. He wondered suddenly if she was even from around here – he after all, had a reputation for being a bit of a dragon. "What's y'name?"

"Taz," The woman replied, leaning back against a tree, surveying him with a tiny smile on her lips. "So, jou're not going to arrest me?"

"Not today, ma'am." Up replied with a wry smile, moving to stand in front of her. "Just don't let me catch y'doing it again."

Taz sucked in a breath, pretending to look thoughtful before she spoke again, and her eyes seemed to dance with mischief.

"I can't promise dat," She said slowly, and brushed past him, a sly smile on her lips. Up turned to watch her, grinning slightly before he heard a horn in the distance. He turned, cursing slightly, and then looked at Taz, who whistled, presumably calling her horse.

"I have to go. Will I see you again?" Up asked, hoping the answer would be yes, for reasons he couldn't fathom. His brain was screaming that this girl was trouble, but her strength, attitude and most certainly her beauty was calling to him.

"Probably." Taz replied, lightly biting her lip. "If jou look in de right places."

Up wondered what she meant by that, but didn't have much time to dwell upon on it, as the horn echoed in the distance for a second time. He simply gave her a polite nod and pulled himself up onto Walker before urging him forward and out of the forest quickly.

Taz watched him go, a half smile on her face, but shook herself out of it as she felt something nudge her side. She glanced to her left, seeing her pitch black stallion, Jose, staring dutifully at him. She rubbed his nose slightly and then gripped onto the feline's back, grimacing as she hefted it up onto Jose's back. He whinnied slightly, impatient, and Taz rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Jose. I got away with it." She assured him, and strapped the feline onto his back, so it wouldn't fall. She checked her saddle bags for a moment and then nodded, hoisting herself up onto his back. "Let's go. To the town!" she urged, and Jose began to run, dodging through the trees as he headed in a shortcut that both he and Taz knew well by now. They approached the small town, and Jose slowed down to a trot so he wouldn't accidentally knock over some villagers. Many of the villagers greeted her as she passed, calling out good morning. Taz simply nodded in return, heading towards the butchers. She stopped in front of it, and the Butcher, a villager named Armond, a dark skinned male with messy black hair and large muscles looked up at her before grinning.

"'Ello, Taz. Brought me some fresh meat?" He asked as Taz dismounted Jose.

"Always." Taz replied with a shrug and unhooked the feline from Jose. She gripped onto its fur and dragged it from his back before dropping it onto the butcher's table. "Freshly killed, one injury, to the neck. Jugular."

"I can always count on you, Taz." Armond told her, shaking his head. "This is perfect. It's gonna help a lot."

"Always ready to help." Taz shrugged, and glanced around. "Is Bug around here?" she asked, remembering the letter she held for the villager in her saddle bag. She frowned however, when Armond looked troubled. "What?"

"Y'didn't hear then… Bug got taken away early this morning by the knights. We don't know why. Came as a shock, that boy never gets in trouble."

Taz swore under her breath and pulled herself up onto Jose's back without another word. She turned him towards the direction of the castle and narrowed her eyes before she urged Jose forward, and he ran full gallop, towards the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Thanks everyone for the positive feedback so far! I'm really enjoying writing this! So here's another chapter! :3**

It didn't take long for Taz to reach the castle, as Jose was one of the fastest horses in the land. She dismounted him and quickly opened the saddle bags, pulling out a sealed letter and a large bundle of scarlet fabric. Cursing quietly, she tucked the letter into her pants pocket and shook the fabric out, revealing a long, scarlet red dress. She ducked behind a tree and undid her belt and then pulled off her tunic. She pulled the dress up over her head, thanking her lucky stars that it was long enough to cover her leather pants and hunting boots. The silky fabric hung from her shoulders, and gathered at her waist before flowing outwards past her hips and onto the ground. She hated dresses, found them to be inconvenient and irritating. Never-the-less, she had to obey protocol. Sighing, Taz reached behind her and pulled the lace which was attached to the built in corset of her dress and tightened it, causing her to wince. She hated that even more, but she could think of several people who would just moan at her if it wasn't laced correctly.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Taz bundled up her tunic, belt and knife, and stuffed them into Jose's saddle bag. She then took his reigns and guided him back to the stables, hoping a certain stable boy would be present. She paused before she reached there, and her shoulders sagged in slight relief when she saw Tootsie Noodles cleaning out the stables instead of the usual stable boy. Tootsie wasn't the brightest of people she had ever met, but he didn't ask awkward questions and had made it a habit to be nice to everyone he met, even if that person didn't deserve it. He was tall, with messy chestnut brown hair and light blue eyes. He was well-built, like a true country boy, which was exactly what he was.

She glanced around warily, to make sure no-one else was around and quickly led Jose to the stables, keeping her expression neutral and passive when Tootsie looked up with a grin.

"Howdy there M'lady!" He said in a chipper voice, and Taz simply nodded in reply, leading Jose back to his pen before unclipping his saddle bags. "Mighty fine day, aint it?" Tootsie asked cheerily, and Taz nodded again, picking up the bangs and throwing them over her shoulder with a grimace. She turned, and jumped when she realised that Tootsie had followed her in, and she took a breath to calm herself.

"Don't do dat." She muttered, irritated, and Tootsie looked abashed.

"Sorry ma'am I was just wonderin', is all…Is Miss Mega alright?" He blushed slightly and Taz could only stare at him for a moment. She knew very well who Mega was, it was her parents personal bodyguard. A cold unfeeling female who never smiled or showed any emotion. She was cold and uncaring, the epitome of a true killer. Why on earth did Tootsie want to know how she was? Surely he wasn't… Taz had to resist hitting the palm of her hand against her forehead and simply sighed.

"I don' t know, I haven't seen her. I can find out though, on one condition." Taz warned, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Anythin', m'lady!" Tootsie said eagerly, nodding his head earnestly.

"Don't tell anyone I was here." Taz told him flatly, and headed out of the stables with him following behind her.

"Sure thing ma'am, you can sure count on me! I'll take it to m'grave!" Tootsie called after her with a wide grin. Taz shoot her head as she moved around to the back of the castle, looking up at the vines which climbed up the side of the wall, stopping at an open window. Quickly, Taz began to scale the vines, making sure the bags stayed securely held on her shoulder, and pulled herself up onto the window ledge before dropping down into the room with a groan.

"Oh my gosh, Tasmine! You're back!" An overly excited voice squealed, and Taz sighed, dropping her bags down and kicking them under the large four poster bed that lay in the centre of the room before turning to look at the speaker.

It was a young, blonde girl around the same age as Taz, yet taller than her. (that however wasn't saying much, as Taz herself was significantly small in stature) She was wearing a light periwinkle dress which went up to her knees and flowered prettily from her shoulders and was tied around the waist with a darker blue ribbon. This was February, self-proclaimed best friend of Taz, and Taz had absolutely no choice in the matter what-so-ever, she didn't even understand why February liked her so much. They were complete polar opposites. Whilst Taz was short with dark skin, hair and eyes and was quite aggressive in nature, February had pale skin light blue eyes and hair the colour of sunshine. She was also easily excitable, loved dresses and being fawned over. She was a neighbouring Princess who had only been in the kingdom for a few months by invitation of Taz's parents, the King and Queen. Taz's actual name, was Tasmine Felicita Lopez, and she was the princess of the kingdom, though it was something she didn't enjoy at all. Her hunting choice was merely a way of escapism, a way to practice her ambitions. All Taz wanted in her life, was to be a knight, and to fight alongside them as the first female member. It was a dream, nothing more, but Taz knew if she ever got the chance, she would take it in a heartbeat, and that was why she trained.

"Si, February, I'm back." Tasmine said in a distracted manner, sitting on the bed to pull off her hunting boots and pull on a pair of scarlet pumps instead. "But I'm busy."

"Did you give Buggy my letter?" February asked eagerly, getting al little misty-eyed at the thought of her secret lover. That was another thing about February, she was a hopeless romantic. She knew all about Taz's escapades in the forest, and promised not to tell, just as long as Taz delivered letters to Bug from her and vice versa, which Taz didn't really mind doing since she always went into town anyway.

"No, not yet, I'm working on it." Taz replied dryly, and moved towards the door quickly, before February grabbed her arm quickly, stopping her.

"What do you mean?" February asked with a small pout, but then proceeded to lace Taz's corset even tighter, causing her to let out a slight gasp and clench her fists. "And you can't go out like THAT! Jeez, Tasmine! You like, are so lucky you have me here to guide you."

"Okay, I really don't have time for a makeover, February, I have to save jour boyfriend from being arrested." Taz muttered, pulling away from February and opening up the door. February simply reached out and placed a simple silver tiara up onto Taz's hair before frowning deeply.

"What? Tasmine, no wait, please!" She called out as Taz adjusted the hair ornament and quickly ran out of the room and down the corridors, hitching up her dress so she didn't trip, as she was prone to doing. She didn't really have any time to answer February's questions, because she knew the knights well. Whatever Bug had supposedly done, if it was enough to get him arrested, she had to act fast. Heading down the main staircase, she almost tripped but cursed and managed to regain her balance before she headed down into the dungeon, where the jail cells were held. She heard voices up ahead and moved towards them, dropping her dress again before she reached the actual cells. She could see some knights inside one of the cells, questioning a terrified young man. He had wavy dark brown hair and dark brown eyes with tanned skin. He was wearing a simple bark brown tunic and pants combo, like the majority of the villagers in the town.

**Linebreaklinebreak**

"Is that what Bug looked like when he had a human body?" Danny asked, cuddled up into Taz's side somewhat, and her arm was lightly draped over his shoulders.

"Si, It was." Taz replied with a nod. "But stay quiet now, Or I won't finish telling de story."

"Sorry," Danny grinned up at her impishly, and then glanced up when there was a knock on the door before it opened, and Up stuck his head inside, shooting them a smile when he saw them. "Hey Up!" Danny said with a bright smile as the Commander moved into the room, sitting at the bottom of the bed.

"Hey sport," Up replied, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Taz is reading me a story from her book, but she's making her, you and the others as the main characters!" Danny replied with a grin, and Taz pulled a face. "You wanna listen?"

Taz shot Up a warning look, but he simply smirked and lay back on the bed, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I've got some time t'spare." He noted casually, and Taz scowled at him. "Take it away, Taz."

**Linebreaklinebreak**

"Hey," Taz said quickly, gripping onto the bars of the cell as she looked in on them. Bug's face immediately relaxed into an expression similar to relief, and the knights stood up tall and respectfully. Her eyes flicked across the guards until they came to rest on Knight Commander Up, who obviously wasn't happy with the situation that was occurring. "What's going on here? Why has he been arrested?"

"Your highness," One of the knights noted, looking somewhat nervous at addressing royalty. "We caught this man at his store, selling flowers which had been stolen from the royal gardens."

Knight Commander Up rolled his eyes, and Taz had to hide a smile at his obvious annoyance. He must know all about the stupid laws that existed in the Kingdom and she figured he must get annoyed with having to enforce them. His eyes locked onto hers momentarily, and he seemed stunned by something. Cursing herself internally, Taz switched her gaze to Bug and the knights, pursing her lips slightly and adopting an annoyed expression.

"He didn't break any laws." She snapped, irritated. "I gave him permission to sell dose flowers." It was true, after all. She didn't care about the flowers, and Bug was a sort of gardener to them, which was how he and February had met in the first place. "So, if jou don't mind, I'd like it if jou would release him, since he didn't commit any crimes."

The knights looked somewhat bewildered, and then turned to look at Up, who simply shrugged, looking at Taz critically.

"Let him go," Up finally decided, shrugging his shoulders. It made no difference to him, and Taz had a feeling that Up had known that Bug was innocent all along, but he just had to go through the formalities of questioning him. Taz breathed a sigh of relief when the knights took the shackles from Bug's wrists and opened the cell door for him. Quickly, Taz gripped onto his wrist and began to pull him out of the dungeon, wanting to get as far away from Up was possible.

"She is one strange princess," One of the knights noted, slowly shaking his head as he watched the two of them leave.

"Watch yer mouth," Up muttered, but he was distracted, thinking about the Princesses' eyes, and how similar they were to the girl in the woods.

"Tasmine, thank you so much." Bug muttered as Taz led him through the maze of corridors towards the main doors of the castle. He, like February knew of her secret, but was quite happy to keep it to himself.

Taz simply shrugged and pulled up her dress slightly and Bug blushed and looked away, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Relax, I'm wearing my pants." She told him dryly, and pulled the letter out of her pocket. She handed it to him and dropped her skirts, and nodded her head at him when he opened the door.

"Thanks again, Tasmine, I won't forget this," Bug promised, smiling at her and gripping the letter tightly.

"Yeah, yeah." Taz muttered and gestured for him to go. "Now quickly, before de knights arrest jou for loitering, or something."

Bug nodded and quickly headed out of the castle, leaving Taz watching him with a small frown on her face. Idly, her thoughts drifted back to Knight Commander Up, and the expression on his face when their eyes had connected. She sincerely hoped he had just noticed similarities and didn't try to figure anything out. Heaving a sigh, Taz closed the door and headed back towards the staircase. It was time to face February again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Phew! Finally! I had a little trouble with this chapter but I'm relatively happy! ^^ Enjoy! **

"Tasmine Lopez!" February huffed as soon as Taz walked into her chambers. Taz raised her eyes to the ceiling and muttered something under her breath before she glanced at her friend again. "You don't like, run off on me when I'm trying to fix your fashion crisis! And you didn't really even explain about Buggy!"

"Bug is fine; he got arrested over a misunderstanding." Taz replied tiredly, not commenting about the fashion statement. "I got him released and gave him jour letter. I'll get his reply de next time I go to de village."

"Oh!" February said brightly, and sat next to Taz, beginning to fiddle with her curls, causing her to twitch and give her a glare. "That's good. So, you realise you're late, don't you? When your handmaiden came up here to find you I had to say you like…went for a walk in the maze!" she giggled slightly, and Taz grimaced.

"I got held u- wait. Why did she come up here?" Taz demanded, and February shrugged slightly.

"She said your parents wanted to see you, or something!"

Taz muttered something under her breath and stood up, turning to February and holding her arms out, an annoyed expression on her face.

"How do I look?" she asked wryly, not really caring, but knowing she had to look presentable for her parents.

"You'd look much better with a smiiiiiiiile!" February said in a sing-song voice, and Taz simply gave her a disgusted look, making it clear that it was never going to happen. February simply sighed and gestured for her to leave, shaking her head. Taz did so, feeling like she'd got off lightly. She headed down the main staircase, intending to go to the throne room, but ran into someone. She stumbled back with a curse, and a hand grabbed her wrist, making it so she didn't fall.

"Whoops, sorry, man." A voice said apologetically, followed by a pause. "Wait a sec, aren't you- you're…Aw man!"

Taz blew her curls out of her face and then glanced at the speaker, feeling annoyance rise up in her. It was one of the knights, Krayonder, who tended to grate her the wrong way.

"Krayonder." Taz said sharply, pulling her wrist out of his grip. He winced slightly, as if expecting her to strike him, and she rolled her eyes, striding past him instead. He watched her, confused, but then immediately ran after her, probably wondering why she didn't hit him or stamp on his feet with her high heels, like she usually did. "Stop following me."

"But I'm like…supposed to protect you, man." Krayonder said, unsure.

"I can protect myself." Taz replied, rolling her eyes slightly. "Go bother Specs, or something."

Specs was the advisor of the king and queen, and Taz had recently found out that Krayonder had a huge crush on her, much to his horror. Ever since then, he made sure to try and find ways of making her keep it a secret, which led to him following her around. It was obvious to everyone else in the castle however, except Krayonder and Specs themselves.

"Specs is busy, man. And I'm like a knight – I'm supposed to make sure you don't get hurt!"

Taz raised her eyebrows as she continued to walk down the hallways. He was supposed to make sure she didn't get hurt. Right.

"I'm going to see my parents, Krayonder. I don't need to be babysat." Taz sighed, feeling her irritation rise. One more word out of him, and she was on the brink of pulling off one of her hunting boots and throwing it at his head.

Krayonder opened his mouth to retort, but paused when Up walked around the corner, lost in thought. Taz froze, and Krayonder bumped into her, causing her to stumble forward with a quick yelp. Up quickly reached out to steady her, and they stared at each other, their eyes locked on each other. Taz swore internally and pulled herself away from his grip, clenching her fists and walking into the throne room. Up watched her go, his eyebrows furrowed. He had a theory – a completely insane theory, mind you – that concerned the princess and the girl with nature's eyes.

"Uh- Commander?" Krayonder asked awkwardly. "What are you looking at, man?"

"Nothing." Up said gruffly. "C'mon. Back t'work."

He turned and began to walk away, though really, his thoughts were still on the huntress in the woods.

**LinebreakLinebreak**

Little did anyone in the kingdom know, the head of the knights, a man clouded in mystery was planning an uprising against the kingdom, planning to raise an army and overthrow the King and Queen.

His plan was to summon up the great ancient evils of the world and use them to weed out the unworthy along with the royal family. It had taken him a long time to collect and understand the enchantments needed to do such an act – but he had finally done it.

Smirking slightly, the villain closed his eyes and began the ritual.

**LineBreakLineBreak**

Taz sighed as she sat on her seat, resting her elbow on the arm rest with her head against her hand. Her parents had called her down so she could observe them taking care of their daily business, much to her annoyance. She had no real interest in running the country. She rolled her eyes slightly and looked away from her parents, who were talking to Specs, who as per usual, was holding several tomes and other items Taz didn't understand the meaning of in her arms.

Taz glanced around, her eyes locking onto Mega. She was standing, still as a statue, her eyes fixed directly ahead. It always unnerved Taz how still she stood – especially because she'd seen how fast Mega could move in battle. Mega's eyes flicked over to her once, and Taz stiffened, looking away immediately. She looked out of the window and frowned slightly. It was getting awfully dark, but there was something unnatural about it. She narrowed her eyes, feeling a chill run up her spine, and stood up, sprinting out of the throne room before her parents could stop her. She ran to the main doors and pulled them open, grinding her teeth together as she did so.

"Dios muerto," she whispered quietly, her eyes widening as the looming darkness. A cold wind blew past her suddenly, extinguishing the candles in the grand hallway, and sweeping through the entire castle, leaving it drenched in sudden darkness. Taz lowered her arms slowly, her breath appearing in mist in front of her face, and stiffened as a sudden howl echoed across the land. The sound wasn't earthbound.

Taz moved quickly slammed the doors shut and backed away from the door without a second of hesitation, as something heavy slammed against it, causing her to stumble back in shock. The thumping continued, and Taz found herself running as fast as she could, truly afraid for the first time in a long time.

**LineBreakLineBreak**

"No way!" Danny said, his mouth falling open. "Taz, you don't GET scared!" he looked up at her in genuine confusion, and Taz shook her head.

"Everyone gets scared Danny. I just hide it well." She told him, trying to ignore Up's amused expression.

"So it's okay to be afraid?" Danny asked, frowning slightly, and Taz nodded her head.

"Sure it is. Just don't let jour fears stop jou from doing what's right."

Danny thought about this for a moment and then nodded, grinning slightly.

"Got it!"

"Good," Taz nodded, and began to close the book. "I think dat's enough for one night."

"What? No!" Danny cried, and placed his hands over hers, giving her a stubborn frown. "Just a bit more? Please?"

"Fine," Taz relented, rolling her eyes slightly. She reopened the book and continued to read where she left off.

**LineBreakLineBreak**

"Tasmine!" A frightened voice called out, and Taz swore, remembering February. She changed course and headed for the main staircase, pulling her skirts up slightly so she could run faster. She met February halfway, and grabbed onto her shoulders, shaking the blonde out of her near hysterical state.

"February." She said sharply, and February grabbed onto her wrists, letting out a small whimper.

"Tasmine, what's going on?" she cried, and Taz pressed her lips together.

"We have to get to de safety shelter," Taz said sharply. "Something's coming."

She instinctively flinched when she heard a loud slam, and guessed that the front doors had been ripped down, as she could hear the noises of the creatures.

"THEY'RE COMING!" February shrieked, her eyes widening in horror. Taz growled and grabbed her hand, pulling her up the stairs and towards her bedroom. Once inside, she let go and slammed the door shut, beginning to pull the bookshelf in front of her door, creating a blockade. She ran to a torch on the wall – having been extinguished when the wind swept into the room – and pulled it down, which in turn, opened a panel in the wall.

"When did you get THAT done?" February asked, her eyes wide.

"Dad did it," Taz replied, distracted. She pulled another torch from the wall and lit it, handing it to February who took it with trembling fingers. "Follow de trail – it will lead jou to de safety room. Mega has probably taken my parents dere already. If dey ask – Jou don't know where I am."

"B-But where are you going?" February asked, looking worried.

Taz began to pull off her dress, and changed into her hunting tunic. She pulled off the tiara, dropping it on the bed, and tied her hair into a messy braid.

"I'm going to find out what's going on." She said grimly, pulling her hunting bag from under her bed. She attached her knives to her belt, and then pulled out a quiver, some arrows and a bow.

"You can't!" February gasped, her eyes widening even more. "You'll be killed!"

"Let me worry about dat." Taz said bluntly, pushing February forwards into the tunnel. "Now go! Before dey get here!"

"Be careful!" February cried, just as Taz pulled up the torch, and the entrance closed. She turned quickly, wincing as she heard something slam into her door. She didn't have much time. She leapt onto the windowsill and agilely began to climb down, immediately beginning to run the minute her feet touched the ground.

Taz sprinted around the corner, heading to the stables, but gasped and ducked back as she saw one of the creatures prowl along in front of her. It was a large dog like creature, except it was pure black and had glowing red eyes. Taz ducked back and headed into the cover of the trees, pulling her bow from her back and notching an arrow onto it, feeling very uneasy with the howls of the creatures echoing around her. She pushed through the thick foliage into a clearing, and then heard a snarl. She spun, releasing her arrow, and the creature was silenced before it could leap at her, it's body dissolving into nothing. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only one in the clearing. Taz moved to grab another arrow as the hound's companion dived at her, but she was too slow, and was knocked back off of her feet, slamming hard into the dirt as the creature pinned her down.

Taz moved to try and grab her knife, but before she had a chance, the creature dissolved on top of her, and Taz was staring at Knight-Commander Up, who had his sword held out, a grimace fixed onto his face. He seemed to do a double-take when he saw her, but held out a hand nevertheless.

Taz took it and pulled herself up onto her feet, reaching down to pick up her bow and discarded arrow. There was an awkward pause before Taz spoke again.

"Thanks," she said finally, and Up gave her a strained smile.

"Think nothin' of it. Y'wouldn't happen to know what's goin' on, would y'?" He asked, looking grim.

"Not a clue," Taz replied with a frown. "Dat's what I'm trying to figure out."

They glanced at other for a moment, studying each other, weighing the pros and cons of the suggestion they were both about to make.

"Team up?" Taz offered, and Up nodded with a wry grin.

"Sounds like a plan." He agreed, but froze, his grip tightening on his sword. Taz spun around, notching her arrow and pointing it into the trees, but froze at the sight that greeted her. They were surrounded.

**LinebreakLinebreak.**

Danny's mouth fell open in complete disbelief as Taz closed the book, and seemed unable to form a coherent sentence for a few moments. It was only when Taz stood, tucking the book under her arm, was Danny able to speak.

"You can't just leave it there! What happens? Do they escape?"

"Tomorrow." Taz said with a wry smile. "I'll read some more tomorrow."

"Oh at least read up to the part where they kiss, to get the mushy part over with!" Danny groaned, throwing himself back onto the bed.

Up went bright red, and Taz looked indignant, and somewhat flustered.

"What makes jou think dey're going to kiss?" Taz demanded, and Danny smirked slightly, his eyes widening in fake innocence.

"Isn't that what ALWAYS happens in fairytales?" he asked, looking slightly gleeful. "The princess and the main hero ALWAYS kiss! And they fall in love, and get MARRIED."

"Not in DIS fairytale!" Taz said, hoping she didn't look too red. "So be quiet, and go to bed."

"Oh alright," Danny groaned, but pointed at her. "But If I have nightmares, it's all YOUR fault."

"I'll keep dat in mind," Taz said dryly, and ruffled his hair. "Night kid."

"Night Taz, Night Up!" Danny grinned, and curled up in his bed. Taz shook her head and turned off the light.

"G'night Danny," Up said, and walked out so Taz could shut the door. "So."

"So what?" Taz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So do they kiss?" Up asked, keeping his voice innocent, and winced as Taz punched him in the stomach. "Kidding!"


End file.
